Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

At the exact hour of Mao (5-7 AM), Zhu Di led his civil and military officials to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Incense tables and offerings had already been set up in front of the temple, with officials of rites standing solemnly on both sides, and the sounds of bronze chimes and bells echoing in the morning light.

On the altar were offered three sacrificial animals: a cow's head, a sheep's head, and a pig's head. In front of the altar were grains and wine cups. Wisps of incense rose, casting straight white lines in the morning light.

Zhu Di burned incense and kowtowed before the memorial tablet of his ancestor, Zhu Yuanzhang, performing three kowtows and nine bows in a slow and solemn manner.

The official in charge of rites unfolded the prepared eulogy and read aloud: "On the sixteenth day of the seventh month of the fifth year of Yongle, the filial son Emperor Di, with this offering of pure wine and humble food, dares to proclaim to the spirit of Emperor Taizu Gao: Annam has rebelled, betraying our benevolence and causing chaos. I, by the mandate of Heaven, have personally led the six armies to punish their crimes..."

The eulogy was read with intonation and rhythm, accompanied by the wisps of incense and the faint chimes of the chime bells in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, creating an indescribable sense of solemnity and desolation.

As Zhu Di knelt before the memorial tablet, he was probably thinking about more than just the current campaign against Annam. He was probably thinking that his father, in heaven, should watch how his son would push the territory of the Ming Dynasty thousands of miles further out. Even if his father were to be brought back to life by his son, the Yongle Emperor, he would still have to call him the Yongle Emperor.

Zhu Yuanzhang: This humble commoner, Zhu Chongba, pays his respects to the Yongle Emperor.

After the sacrificial ceremony, Zhu Di received the farewell from the officials in front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaosui, as the Crown Prince and the Prince Regent who stayed behind to oversee the country, performed a grand farewell ceremony to Zhu Di in front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Zhu Di stepped forward, patted Zhu Gaochi on the shoulder, and said in a gentler tone than usual, "Eldest son, I'm entrusting the capital to you. During my absence, you will be in charge of all affairs of the court. If you encounter anything you're unsure about, consult with the scholars in the cabinet... But with your abilities, I have no worries..."

Upon hearing of Zhu's trust in him, Zhu Gaochi bowed and agreed, his eyes slightly reddening.

Zhu Di then turned to Zhu Gaosui and said, "Third brother, your eldest brother is regent, so you should help him out. Keep a close eye on the shipbuilding; I want to see the blueprints for the new ships when I return."

Zhu Gaosui bowed and said, "Father, rest assured, your son will certainly not fail your trust."

Zhu Di nodded, his gaze slowly sweeping over the faces of his two sons who remained behind. Without saying anything more, he turned and strode toward the Meridian Gate.

Meanwhile, on the Yangtze River, the naval commander led his fleet from the Yangtze River docks outside Nanjing.

Annam is located by the sea, so a combined land and sea advance is the most reasonable deployment. The army can enter northern Annam through Guangxi, while the navy can move south along the coast and land on the eastern coast of Annam, forming a pincer movement with the army.

The navy's warships were fully loaded with provisions and siege equipment. Because the navy was to set off ahead of schedule, the civil officials had already been given several gourds of provisions, including compressed biscuits.

The sails fluttered in the morning light, and from a distance, it looked like a moving city floating on the river. The Yangtze River is a public waterway, and the riverbank is open. Well-informed people were already waiting there to see them off.

At Chenshi (7-9 AM), the procession moved from the Imperial Ancestral Temple to the Meridian Gate. In the square in front of the Meridian Gate, tens of thousands of soldiers were already lined up, with banners fluttering and swords and spears like a forest.

Along the palace road from the Imperial Ancestral Temple to the Meridian Gate, the Imperial Guards had already lined up to clear the way, but the noise of the common people could still be faintly heard through the palace wall.

On the city tower, Zhu Di stood with his hands behind his back, with Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Gaoxi and accompanying military officers behind him. Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaosui, as the crown prince and regent prince who stayed behind to oversee the country, stood on one side of the city tower.

The soldiers below the city gate looked up at the emperor riding a tiger, and the entire square was silent.

Zhu Di did not give a long speech, but only said one sentence: "Today we set out on an expedition, and I will go with you all. Those who offend my Great Ming, no matter how far away they are, will be punished."

The soldiers raised their spears and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" The shouts were deafening, and even the people outside the palace walls had their ears ringing.

Following the oath-taking ceremony was the bestowal of imperial axe and halberd.

Zhang Fu, as the General Who Conquers the South, stepped forward, knelt on one knee, raised his hands above his head, and proclaimed loudly: "Your subject Zhang Fu, by Your Majesty's grace, has been entrusted with the important task of conquering the South. I will exert all my strength to live up to Your Majesty's expectations, lead the royal army to pacify the South, and repay Your Majesty's kindness!"

Zhu Di received the imperial ceremonial staff and the axe from the official in charge of rites. The staff was a tally, representing the emperor's authority; the axe was an axe, representing the power of life and death.

He stepped forward and solemnly handed the imperial insignia to Zhang Fu. Then he gently patted Zhang Fu on the shoulder and said, "Zhang Fu, your father, Zhang Yu, followed the late emperor in conquering the country and made great contributions. I have seen your battles in the north and south these past few years. Annam is a complex place with heavy miasma. I am not sure if I can trust anyone else to go there..."

Zhang Fu held the imperial axe in both hands and loudly replied, "Your subject will certainly not fail in his mission, even if it means dying nine times over!" Then he returned to the ranks.

At 3:45 AM, the oath-taking ceremony was completed, and the army set off.

The vanguard battalion was the first to emerge from the side gates on both sides of the Meridian Gate, their horses' hooves and animal claws clattering on the bluestone slabs with a deafening roar.

The main force of the central army followed closely behind, with the beast legion sandwiched in the middle of the formation. Several lions carried Zhang Fu and others on their backs, and each beast's eyes gleamed with a cold light.

Rhinoceroses and elephants carried siege equipment and supplies at the rear, with soldiers on the elephants' backs looking down on both sides.

Zhu Gaoxu could no longer contain himself. He summoned his somersault cloud, flipped himself up, and mounted the white tiger.

Zhu Di stood on his somersault cloud, with his tiger lying beside him. He was just about to ride the cloud into the sky when he suddenly remembered something and stopped what he was doing.

Just as Zhu Gaoxu was about to take off, he turned his head and glanced at Zhu Di, who was still standing in the same spot. He wondered what the old man was up to since he wasn't in a hurry to leave.

Zhu Di retracted the somersault cloud, moved closer to Zhu Gaoxi, and said with a hint of embarrassment, "Xi'er, didn't you promise your father in the Heavenly Palace last time that you would let him ride a dragon when we went to war? Look, is it appropriate now?" His expression and tone were practically calling Zhu Gaoxi "Fourth Brother".

Zhu Gaoxi almost burst out laughing when he saw his father's expectant expression. The dignified Emperor Yongle was acting like this. But since he had already agreed, he didn't say anything more.

He then opened the gourd, put Zhu Di's tiger mount inside, and then called out to the little gold talisman coiled on his wrist, saying, "Genshin Impact..." before switching gears. He then said, "Little gold, activate, get to work."

Little Jin lazily flicked its tail, which slipped from his wrist and grew rapidly in the wind. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a four-clawed golden dragon, its roar shaking the heavens and shimmering with golden light, hovering steadily above the city tower.

He stepped forward and gestured with his chin toward Zhu Di: "Father, come up."

Zhu Di remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was overjoyed. He stepped onto the dragon's back, looked down at the golden dragon beneath his feet, and thought to himself, "Throughout history, which emperor has ever ridden a real dragon into battle? Only me, Zhu Di."

Zhu Gaoxu, who was standing to the side, saw his father mount the dragon's back. He looked down at the fierce tiger king under his own legs, then looked up at the majestic golden dragon. Suddenly, he felt that the fierce tiger king was no longer appealing.

Why was he in such a hurry just now? If he had been a step later, Zhao Yun might have been able to squeeze onto the dragon's back for a ride. He rode the white tiger closer to Zhu Gaoxi, tilted his head back, and put on a fawning smile: "Fourth brother, is your dragon's back hard? Is it comfortable...?"

Zhu Gaoxi knew what his second brother wanted to say, but before he could speak, Zhu Di had already answered for him.

Sitting on the dragon's back, Zhu Di said decisively, "Second Prince, don't even think about it. I know what you're going to say—no, it won't do, it's not allowed."

What he was really thinking was: This is an opportunity that I begged for with humility, and you, you little brat, got it so easily. You wish, you stinking soldier.

Zhu Gaoxu was shut down by the old man's words, but he just chuckled and patted the white tiger's head: "If that doesn't work, then forget it. My Tiger King is pretty good too, isn't it, Tiger King?"

Zhu Gaoxu glanced at the golden dragon again, muttered to himself, "Next time I'll ask my fourth brother to do it too," and then rode the white tiger into the air, following beside the golden dragon.